Method and device for guiding and centering a metal rolling stock in a rolling mill

Abstract

A method and a device for guiding and centering a metallic rolling stock in a rolling mill having at least one assembly that is arranged in a rolling line and at least one rolling mill stand for shaping the rolling stock are disclosed. The method includes the use of lateral guide means, which exert a lateral force onto the moving rolling stock at different locations of the rolling line, wherein the method further includes the process of centering the inflow of the rolling stock ahead of a first assembly and/or ahead of a first rolling mill stand of the rolling mill using first lateral guide means and the process of aligning rolling stock downstream transversely to the rolling line using second lateral guide means, wherein the process of centering the inflow includes a funnel-shaped, flat guiding of the rolling stock and a point-shaped guiding of the rolling stock.

Claims

1. A method for guiding and centering a metal rolling stock (2) in a rolling mill (1), the rolling mill (1) comprising an assembly that is arranged in a rolling line and a first rolling mill stand (3) for shaping the rolling stock (2), the method comprising: exerting a lateral force onto the rolling stock (2) at different locations of the rolling line by lateral guide means (8,9,10) while the rolling stock (2) is moving; centering an inflow of the rolling stock (2) ahead of the assembly and/or ahead of the first rolling mill stand (3) of the rolling mill (1) using a first of the lateral guide means (8); aligning the rolling stock (2) transversely to the rolling line using a second of the lateral guide means (9) downstream of the first of the lateral guide means (8); wherein centering the inflow comprises a funnel-shaped, flat guiding of the rolling stock (2) and a point-shaped guiding of the rolling stock (2), wherein centering the inflow of the rolling stock (2) further comprises using a third of the lateral guide means (10), wherein the lateral guide means (8,9,10) each include a flat guide for the rolling stock substantially formed as a funnel guide and a point-shaped guide for the rolling stock formed as a roller guide, and wherein the lateral guide means (8,9,10) are each actively adjusted against the rolling stock (2).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first of the lateral guide means (8) and the third of the lateral guide means (10) are arranged directly one behind the other in the downstream direction of rolling with a first relatively small spacing (A2) and wherein the first of the lateral guide means (8) and the second of the lateral guide means (9) are arranged at a relatively larger spacing (A1) from one another in the downstream direction of rolling.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the lateral guide means (8, 9, 10) are brought into and out of engagement with the rolling stock (2) with a controllable, variable adjusting force.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the alignment of the rolling stock (2) with the second of the lateral guide means (9) takes place directly ahead of the first rolling mill stand (3) of the rolling mill (1).

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the lateral guide means (8, 9, 10) are adjusted against the rolling stock (2) with a contact force that is smaller than a plastic deformability of the rolling stock (2).

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second of the of the lateral guide means (9) is narrower than the first of the lateral guide means (8).

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: temporarily disengaging the first of the lateral guide means (8) from the rolling stock (2) after a first contact with the rolling stock (2) and prior to a second contact with the rolling stock (2) by the second of the lateral guide means (9) or the third of the lateral guide means (10) or a further of the lateral guide means.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: detecting an alignment and a position of the rolling stock (2) with respect to the rolling line (11) by sensors, and controlling an adjusting movement and/or adjusting force of the lateral guide means (8, 9, 10) as a function of the position and/or the alignment of the rolling stock (2), or setting the position of the lateral guide means and with a selectable spacing from the rolling line.

9. A device for guiding and centering a metal rolling stock (2) in a rolling mill (1), wherein the rolling mill (1) comprises an assembly arranged in a rolling line (11) and a rolling mill stand (3) for shaping the rolling stock (2), the device comprising: first lateral guide means (8), second lateral guide means (9), and third lateral guide means (10) arranged at different spaced-apart locations of the rolling line (11), wherein the first lateral guide means (8) form an inflow centering of the rolling stock (2), wherein the second lateral guide means (9) are arranged ahead of the rolling mill stand (3) and are provided for aligning the rolling stock parallel and centrally to the rolling line, wherein the first lateral guide means (8), the second lateral guide means (9), and the third lateral guide means (10) each have a flat guide for the rolling stock substantially designed as a funnel guide and a point-shaped guide for the rolling stock designed as a lateral roller guide, and wherein the first lateral guide means (8), the second lateral guide means (9), and the third lateral guide means (10) are each adjustable on both sides of the rolling stock (2) with a predeterminable force.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the first lateral guide means (8) and the second lateral guide means (9) are arranged at a first large spacing A1 from one another, and wherein the second lateral guide means are arranged directly ahead of the rolling mill stand (3).

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein the roller lateral guide is arranged on an outflow side of the funnel guide.

12. The device according to claim 9, wherein the roller lateral guide is arranged on an inflow side of the funnel guide.

13. The device according to claim 9, wherein the lateral guide means (8, 9, 10) are adjustable on both sides of the rolling stock (2) in different angular positions.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a part of a rolling mill with devices for guiding and centering the rolling stock,

(2) FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1, with which the rolling stock is in a different position,

(3) FIG. 3 is an enlarged representation of the guiding of the rolling stock at different positions and

(4) FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of various positions of the rolling stock in the rolling mill.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) In the following, reference is first made to the representations in FIGS. 1 and 2, which show a top view of the inflow region of a rolling mill 1, with which a strip-shaped rolling stock 2 is fed to a shaping operation from upstream processes such as a heating furnace, casting machine or roughing stand. The rolling mill 1 is a finishing mill, preferably comprising a plurality of rolling mill stands, of which a first rolling mill stand 3 is indicated. The rolling stock 2 is, for example, a hot strip that, for example, passes through a shear 4 and a scale washer 5 in the rolling mill 1, before being fed to the first rolling mill stand 3 in the rolling mill 1. The rolling stock 2 in the form of the hot strip is fed in a known manner via a roller table 6 to the first assembly of the rolling mill 1 in the form of the shear 4, which in the present case is designed as a drum shear. The rolling stock 2 passes through the rolling mill 1 from left to right in the representations, wherein FIG. 1 shows the rolling stock 2, while a rolling stock head 7 (strip head) is located on the roller table 6 in the region of first lateral guide means 8.

(6) Directly downstream of the first lateral guide means 8 in the direction of transport of the rolling stock 2 are third lateral guide means 10, which are designed approximately in accordance with the first lateral guide means 8. At a spacing A1 from the first lateral guide means 1, second lateral guide means 9 are arranged directly ahead of the first rolling mill stand 3. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the first and third lateral guide means 8,10 are arranged directly behind one another with a second smaller spacing A2 of, for example, 1 m to 6 m, which is significantly smaller than the spacing A1 of, for example, 6 m to 20 m between the third lateral guide means 10 and the second lateral guide means 9. The first lateral guide means 8 are arranged at a large spacing ahead of the first rolling mill stand 3, whereas the second lateral guide means 9 are arranged directly ahead of the first rolling mill stand 3.

(7) The first lateral guide means 8 and third lateral guide means 10 are designed in the form of a funnel with a moderate slope, which form a tapered funnel shape deviating from a parallel line by, for example, 1 to 30. The angular position of the funnels can be set in a variable and deviating manner.

(8) Between the third lateral guide means 10 and the second lateral guide means 9, initially the shears 4 and directly thereafter the scale washer 5 are arranged in the direction of transport of the rolling stock 2. Other configurations of the arrangement are conceivable. For example, the first and third lateral guide means 8,10 may be provided ahead of a coil box and a shear arranged behind it in the direction of transport. The spacing A1 from the second lateral guide means 9 to the third lateral guide means 10 is selected to be relatively large in order to be able to exert a maximum lever arm on the rolling stock 2 between such two spaced-apart contact points with the rolling stock 2, in order to be able to align and displace the latter transversely to the direction of transport on the roller table 6 from a target position to an ideal line or to the center line 11, as the case may be, of the rolling mill 1. The respective actual alignment of the rolling stock 2 is indicated in the figures by a roughly dashed line 12.

(9) As can be seen in particular from FIG. 3, the first, second and third lateral guide means 8, 9, 10 each comprise two guide legs 13, each of which can be both pivoted and adjusted transversely to the center line 11 of the rolling mill by means of adjusting cylinders 14. The adjusting cylinders 14 are preferably designed as hydraulic cylinders which are supported against corresponding abutments. Each guide leg 13 forms a guide surface aligned in the direction of the lateral edges of the rolling stock 2, which in the case of the first and third lateral guide means 8, 10 is adjoined by a point-shaped support in the form of a guide roller 15. The guide legs 13 of the first and third lateral guide means 8, 10 are each aligned or adjusted, as the case may be, in the shape of a funnel, such that the first and third lateral guide means 8, 10 form double funnels, which effect a process of centering the inflow of the rolling stock 2.

(10) As shown in FIG. 1, the rolling stock 2 arranged off-center on the roller table 6 initially comes into contact with a guide leg 13 of the first lateral guide means 8. In such a case, the first lateral guide means 8 initially fulfill the function of trapping the rolling stock 2, which may be in the form of a slab, thin slab or pre-strip, for example.

(11) The method involves setting a funnel with a moderate slope with a low skew angle, such that the rolling stock 2 initially comes into contact with the first lateral guide means 8 as gently as possible. A further centering is then performed by means of the third lateral guide means 10. The guide rollers 15 of the first and third lateral guide means 8, 10 accordingly rest only at points on the edges of the rolling stock 2. Therefore, the rolling stock 2 is roughly centered and fed to the shear 4 and subsequent scale washer 5.

(12) The rolling stock head 7 then enters the guide region of the third lateral guide means 10, which are designed to correspond to the first lateral guide means 8.

(13) The second lateral guide means 9 are arranged directly ahead of the first rolling mill stand 3 of the rolling mill 1. The second lateral guide means 9 also comprise two guide legs 13, on which, however, in contrast to the first and third lateral guide means 8, 10, guide rollers 15 are arranged upstream, i.e. on the inflow side of the guide formed by the guide legs 13, as viewed in the direction of transport of the rolling stock 2. Upstream of the guide rollers of the second lateral guide means 9, there is a funnel that may be moved together with the guide rollers 15 and that ensures that the rolling stock head 7 flows in between the guide rollers of the second lateral guide means 9. The width of the opening between the guide legs 13 of the second lateral guide means 9 is smaller than that of the funnel openings of the first and third lateral guide means 8,10. In the ideal case, the guide legs 13 of the second lateral guide means 9 are aligned parallel to one another. The guide rollers 15 cause the rolling stock 2 to be held in the center line 11 of the rolling mill 1 throughout the entire rolling process, even if the rolling stock foot 16 of the rolling stock 2 has already left the guide region of the first and third lateral guide means 8, 10, as shown in FIG. 4d. The guide legs 13 may still hold the rolling stock even if the rolling stock foot 16 of the rolling stock 2 has already left the guide rollers 15 of the second lateral guide means 9.

(14) FIGS. 4a) to 4c) show a schematic sequence of a rolling stock flowing into the rolling mill 1, wherein FIG. 4d) depicts the state in which the rolling stock foot 16 of the rolling stock 2 is still located between the second lateral guide means 9 and a following section of the rolling stock is already located on the roller table 6 of the rolling mill 1.

(15) With the method, the rolling stock head 7 initially enters the funnel opening of the first lateral guide means 8. If the rolling stock 2 is skewed, the rolling stock head 7 will initially come into contact with one of the guide legs 13 of the first lateral guide means 8 and catch the rolling stock 2. The rolling stock 2 then enters the inflow region of the third lateral guide means 10. By means of the third lateral guide means 10, a central alignment of the rolling stock 2 for the next method step is carried out, for example a shear cut by means of the shear 4 downstream of the third lateral guide means 10.

(16) FIG. 4 b) shows the state of the rolling stock 2 in which the rolling stock head 7 has just entered the inflow region of the second lateral guide means 9. In such position of the rolling stock 2, a secure guiding and aligning of the rolling stock 2 is ensured by all lateral guide means 8, 9, 10, such that the rolling stock head 7 may be fed centrally to the shaping process by the first rolling mill stand 3 and may also be held in such position throughout the entire rolling process. FIG. 4 d) shows the state of the rolling stock 2 with which the rolling stock foot 16 is still just in the region of the guide with the second lateral guide means 9.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(17) 1 Rolling mill 2 Rolling stock 3 Rolling mill stand 4 Shear 5 Scale washer 6 Roller table 7 Rolling stock head 8 First lateral guide means 9 Second lateral guide means 10 Third lateral guide means 11 Center line of the rolling mill 12 Actual line of the rolling stock 13 Guide leg 14 Adjusting cylinder 15 Guide roller 16 Rolling stock foot A1 First large spacing between the first and second lateral guide means A2 Second small spacing between the first and third lateral guide means